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Coach Ron Wilson still needs some serious convincing, but young Leafs Luke Schenn and Viktor Stalberg, each viewed as a key piece of the team's future, have the chance to reclaim a spot in the lineup.

Both will dress in an important divisional matchup at Buffalo on Friday night; Schenn after three games as a healthy scratch and Stalberg as a surprise callup from the Marlies.

Wilson would not say who will sit to make room, but Jeff Finger, who finished Wednesday's 6-3 loss to Phoenix as a minus-3, is a blueline candidate. Stalberg subbed in on the fourth line at Thursday's practice but it seems unlikely he'll start there.

Another change will see rookie goaltender Jonas Gustavsson, declared healthy again, dress as Vesa Toskala's backup. He missed the last eight games after undergoing a second procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat.

Gustavsson may start Saturday night at home against the Bruins. Joey MacDonald, who had been serving as the No. 2 goalie in the Swede's absence, was returned to the Marlies.

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Wilson pulled Schenn out of the lineup after he had a particularly bad game at Boston a week ago. The 20-year-old blueliner had been showing some improvement after a rough start to the season but a couple of glaring mistakes against Boston convinced the coach it was time to "reset" the youngster's attitude.

"I would hope he's got a fire lit under his rear end," said Wilson, when asked what he anticipated in Schenn's return. "We'll spot him until we feel comfortable that he's ready to play. I expect him to have a good game tomorrow night and be more aggressive than he has been and get his feet moving right off the bat."

Schenn feels he benefitted from his exile to the press box.

"The game looks a lot different from up top, that's for sure," said Schenn. "You try to watch some of the guys on our team who are playing well and how they get in the shooting lanes, what they did on the penalty kill and how they move the puck. Hopefully I learned."

Wilson was taking a wait-and-see approach with Stalberg, though he conceded his weary lineup needed some fresh legs.

Stalberg had a great camp for the Leafs, scoring six goals and adding three assists in eight games. But that success didn't continue in the regular season. Stalberg played eight games but had one assist before being assigned to the Marlies.

"His play has improved but there's still a lot of room for improvement," Wilson said. "But of all the people down there, he has by far the most NHL skill in terms of his speed, his shot and his size. He just has to put it all together up here like he did in training camp."

Stalberg said it was tough showing well early in the season when the Leafs, who started 0-7-1, kept losing. In 19 AHL games, he had 21 points, including eight goals, and gained the confidence of being the go-to guy in the offence.

"We didn't play well as a team and I think affected me too," he said of his first Leafs' stint. "You don't have that extra confidence. Obviously, I was disappointed not being able to put up more goals or points. It was hard for everyone when we were doing so poorly. But it's a completely different team now. You see smiles out there on the ice and it's a lighter mood in the locker room."

Gustavsson said he's "ready to play." The final hurdle, he said, had nothing to do with his heart, but rather getting his stamina back after sitting out so many games and practices. He said he has no concerns about his heart.

"I know it's not dangerous so I won't even be thinking about it," he said. "You have to see it from the bright side. I got rested a little bit and I'll be back with more energy than if I'd been playing all the time."

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